Sometimes the military itself aids in the delusions of it's members. For instance, I know a Vietnam era Navy guy who was credited with being in a combat zone, but was never any closer to Vietnam than 10 miles off shore. But he has that ribbon to help with his stories.
I know an USAF enlisted desk jockey who was allowed a ride on a cargo plane that made a drop in the desert during the first gulf war. Plane never even came to a complete stop, yet he was credited with having been in the war zone on his records. A couple of minutes over the runway and he's a war hero. He is now an officer in the local VFW.
I myself have many stories of my service time during the Vietnam War. However, many of my stories are funny and some are down right embarrassing. The closest I got to Nam was Turkey and I still deal with some guilt over all the fun I was having while others were being shot at. Best, most fun time of my life!
